entrepreneurship

The Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID), created in the wake of the 2005 BRAC round, is marking its 10-year anniversary amid a transformation that has turned the Northern Virginia neighborhood from what had been seen as just a daytime destination for government employees into a vibrant commercial and retail district catering to entrepreneurs and younger workers. The BID was formed to help the neighborhood recover from the loss of 17,000 DOD workers forced to move out of leased office space as a result of recommendations approved by the BRAC Commission. The idea was to “build momentum toward building a new Crystal City,” said Angela Fox, president and chief executive officer of the BID …

A new initiative launched by the commonwealth of Massachusetts will help the state’s high-tech companies forge relationships with federal agencies aimed at solving the nation’s most difficult challenges. The Massachusetts Innovation Bridge will be funded by MassDevelopment, a state-sponsored economic development agency, and managed by the MITRE Corp., a nonprofit think tank that conducts advanced research for DOD and many civilian federal agencies. The Innovation Bridge, which will be located at business incubator CIC Boston, will provide a dedicated space for leadership forums and workshops, technology scouting, and venture capital portfolio and university research exchanges …

Purdue University and the University of Southern Indiana (USI) are partnering with Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division to help bring technologies developed at the facility to market and spur the growth of startup businesses in the region. “Part of this initiative involves Purdue taking over 130 Crane innovations and running them through their MBA students,” said Daniela Vidal, director of USI’s Center for Applied Research. “It’s a way to get Crane in a more usable format and out into the world.” The two schools have collaborated with Crane for years, with Purdue supplying its expertise in entrepreneurship to the partnership …

Pentagon officials have formed a working group to consider ways to loosen restrictions preventing military spouses from operating a broad range of businesses out of on-base housing. The primary barrier limiting spouses’ entrepreneurial options is the requirement that an installation’s morale, welfare and recreation services and local exchanges review prospective businesses that would operate out of any government-owned buildings, including on-base housing. If a business would conflict with any of those organizations, the application likely would be denied …

Clarksville, Tenn., the home of Fort Campbell, recently has found itself becoming the home of an increasing number of businesses started by veterans, military spouses and active service members. The trend makes sense, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), which says transitioning service members are “natural entrepreneurs, possessing the training, experience and leadership skills to start businesses and create jobs …

A new study by the Kauffman Foundation documents a long-term decline in the number of businesses started by military veterans. In 1996, veterans represented 12.3 percent of all new entrepreneurs, but by 2011, veterans comprised just 6 percent of new entrepreneurs, the study found. Until three years ago, veterans generally started companies at higher rates than non-veterans …